HarperCollins offering discounted ebooks after price fixing settlement

ebook discounts coming to Kindle and other online bookstores
ebook discounts coming to Kindle and other online bookstores

HarperCollins has reached new agreements with Amazon and other ebook retailers to sell the publisher's books at a discount.

Bestselling ebooks from the publisher such as "The Fallen Angel" and "Solo" can now be found for $9.99 on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online retailers.

"We are happy to again be lowering prices on a broad assortment of HarperCollins titles," an Amazon spokesperson said.

The discounts follow a Department of Justice settlement last week concerning ebook price fixing between Apple and publishers HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, and Simon & Schuster.

Publishers strike a deal

Each publisher had an agreement with Apple to sell their books at a discounted rate through iTunes under the condition that the same discounts are not offered to other retailers.

The settlement determined that the three publishers can no longer dictate fixed pricing on their titles to online retailers.

HarperCollins is the first publisher to strike new agreements after the settlement, with ebooks from Simon & Schuster and Hachette Book Group still showing cheaper prices through iTunes.

Two other publishers, Penguin Group USA and Macmillan, did not agree to the settlement and face trail next year alongside Apple.

The publishers are also facing an investigation from a European Union antitrust commission due to their agreements with Apple.

Via The New York Times